6 INCH: DR MINDBENDER

Dr Mindbender was not a desirable figure when I was a kid. Not in the least bit. The Marvel comic book written by Larry Hama didn't really do anything for me. The cartoon got use out of him but there wasn't any aspect that screamed, "you must buy him". I only had him in possession during the Theme Years because GI Joe was all about 2-packs and Mindbender showed up in some of them. Yet, who he was sunk in far enough that I accepted him as a part of the toyline and Cobra. Who would have thought, that years later, I would have sought a Mindbender figure out to customize and use for diostories? Even to a degree that he was being hunted by GI Joe, Cobra, and other entities and agencies of the world?

At some point, I accepted him. As I wrote him, I started to have fun with the equivalent of a mad scientist. I have a short diostory series called Zedd Talk (a goof on Ted Talk). Though he is a wanted man, he continues to do what he wants to do. Cobra is so big, he's able to hide within it; hence why the 4 Horsemen even exist. They are doing thing that Cobra Commander doesn't know about. For those they they command (or control), they have no reason to question the orders. The 4 Horsemen are all ranking officers, even if they aren't equal in rank.

In the Zedd Universe, Dr Mindbender doesn't run around without a shirt but with suspenders and tights. He's more formal than that. To create that look, which at least the Valor vs Venom version allowed, I had seen some potential ideas on BBTS through their Monster Force figures. In particular, their Dracula figure. It was my 1st entry into an unknown toyline for me. It took a bit of effort to get things right; I hadn't dremel'd out heads before. Carved larger holes for small scale figures, yes. But this was new territory. I hadn't planned on doing customs of 6 inch figures due to cost. Alas, Red 5 and Mindbender were created in the end.

Unfortunately, the final look for Mindbender comes off wrong to me. It's workable but it's probably in my head that he looks like a butler. I think once I start writing the 4 Horsemen story, the visuals will work. I hope. To note, Mindbender isn't one I photograph often but he's referenced frequently in the diostories after a certain point. Part of his story is that he created a food forest for Cobra. In doing so, he learned the technology of terra-forming. Achieving both these feats come from after-effects of the psychic motivator implanted him decades earlier (that would be acknowledgement of Cobra La, believe it or not!). The demented doctor is a lot of fun to write. Which makes the physical form of him fun to have around.